Cover for sewing machine bobbin winder

ABSTRACT

A bobbin winder for a sewing machine with portions including a bobbin accommodating spindle projecting exteriorly of a sewing machine casing and cooperating with a hinged lid having a spool pin supporting standard which is formed with an interior cavity overlying the exteriorly projecting portions of the bobbin winder in the closed position of the bed.

United States Patent Bantor [54] COVER FOR SEWING MACHINE BOBBIN WINDER[72] Inventor: Louis J. Banter, Edison, NJ.

[73] Assignee: The Singer Company, New York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 104,711

[52] U.S. Cl. ..ll2/2l8 A [51] Int. Cl ..B65h 54/18 [58] FieldofSearch..112/218A,218R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,871,809 2/1959 Moro ..112/218 A 51 May 30, 1972 3,381,641 5/1968 Bialy et a1. ..1l2/218 RPrimary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter AnarneyMarshall J. Breen, Chester A.Williams, Jr. and

Robert E. Smith ABSTRACT A bobbin winder for a sewing machine withportions including a bobbin accommodating spindle projecting exteriorlyof a sewing machine casing and cooperating with a hinged lid having aspool pin supporting standard which is formed with an interior cavityoverlying the exteriorly projecting portions of the bobbin winder in theclosed position of the bed.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing figures 4 Patented May 30, 1972 INVENTOR. LOUIS J.Bontor BY: F AT/ oRNEY COVER FOR SEWING MACHINE BOBBIN WINDER BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION Practically all bobbin winding mechanisms in sewingmachines include portions, such as bobbin accommodating spindles,control knobs, and the like, which protrude exteriorly of the sewingmachine casing for convenience of access and use in replenishing threadon bobbins. U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,627, Dec. l9, l967 to E. W. Bialyexemplifies this arrangement and, moreover, may be referred to for adetailed disclosure of the type of bobbin winder mechanism with whichthe present invention is disclosed.

When not being used to wind a bobbin, however, the conventionallyarranged bobbin winders are objectionable in that they presentprojections from the. sewing machine casing which can snag work pieces,the operators clothing, or the like, and which, moreover, detract fromthe appearance of the sewing machine and distract the operator'sattention from control indicia and other functional graphics on thesewing machine casing.

To provide mechanism for retracting a bobbin winder when not in usewould be exorbitantly expensive. It would also be prohibitivelyexpensive to provide a cover for the sole purpose of shrouding thebobbin winder.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and additional objects areattained in this invention by the combination of a bobbin windingmechanism with a hinged sewing machine frame lid which is provided, asdisclosed, for instance, in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,64l, May 7, 1968 ofE. W. Bialy et al., with means for supporting a thread spool and whichmay be shifted open to expose an exchangeable pattern cam. US. Pat. No.3,381,641 may be referred to for a detailed disclosure of the hinged lidconstruction. By providing the thread spool pin supporting standard withan interior cavity and by arranging the projecting exposed portions ofthe bobbin winder so as to be accommodated within the cavity in theclosed position of the lid, this invention provides the advantagesdiscussed above without the expense or disadvantage of other possiblealternatives.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings of a preferredembodiment,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a sewing machinehaving this invention applied thereto with a fragment broken awayillustrating the parts in vertical cross section and showing the hingedlid in closed position, and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sewing machine of FIG. 1 showing thehinged lid in open position and in which all of said exposed bobbinwinder portions are accommodated within the standard cavity in theclosed position of said lid.

In the drawing the bracket arm portion of a sewing machine casing isindicated at ll. Journaled in the bracket arm is a main shaft 12 towhich is fastened a balance wheel 13. A hub portion 14 of the balancewheel is formed with a bobbin winder driving face 15.

Preferably, the sewing machine bracket arm 11 is formed upwardly openand is closed by a top cover 20 secured on the bracket arm as by afastening screw 21. The top cover 20 adjacent to the balance wheel isformed with a shallow recess 22 which accommodates a lid 23 secured tothe top cover 20 by a hinge 24. It is the purpose of the hinged lid 23selectively to expose or cover an access opening 25 in the shallowrecess 22 through which exchangeable pattern cams may be passed.

The hinged lid 23, moreover, is formed with a raised standard 30 havingan interior cavity 31. A boss 32 projecting into the cavity 31 from onewall of the standard 30 provides a reception socket for a spoolsupporting pin 33 which passes through a clearance aperture 34 in theopposite wall of the standard. A spool accommodating depression 35 maybe formed in the lid beneath the spool pin and a thread guiding post 36is carried by the lid beyond the spool pin and formed with a threadguiding aperture 37 which is located substantially in alignment with thespool pin.

indicated at 40 in the drawing is the bobbin accommodating spindle of abobbin winding device. Since the specific form of construction of thebobbin winding device is not of concern to the present invention, fulldetails of construction are not included in the accompanying drawings.Any of a wide variety of known bobbin winder mechanisms may be used suchas that disclosed in the above-referenced US. Pat. No. 3,358,627.

For an understanding of the present invention, the bobbin accommodatingspindle 40, which is transversely slotted as at 41 to accept a bowedwire spring 42 which frictionally holds a bobbin on the spindle duringwinding, is journaled in a boss 43 formed on a bracket 44 shiftablysupported within the sewing machine casing. Beneath the bracket 44 thespindle 40 carries a rubber rimmed wheel 45 for engagement with thedriving face 15 of the balance wheel hub 14. t

The bobbin accommodating spindle projects upwardly through a clearanceaperture 50 in the top cover 20 and the clearance aperture is preferablysufficiently large as to accommodate shift of the bracket 44 to move therubber rimmed wheel either into or out of engagement with the balancewheel hub.

The bracket 44 may also be formed with a control knob 51 by which themachine operator may shift the bracket 44. The control knob projectsupwardly through a clearance slot 52 in the top cover adjacent to thebobbin accommodating spindle The bobbin winding mechanism may alsoinclude a thread engaging abutment 60 projecting above the top cover 15adjacent to the spindle 40 and the control knob 51. Such thread engagingabutments are well known in the art of bobbin winding devices and serveby the buildup of thread being wound on a bobbin to urge the wheel 45out of driving relation with the balance wheel to prevent overwinding ofthe bobbin.

The spindle 40, control knob 51 and abutment 60 represent portions ofthe bobbin winding mechanism which project exteriorly of the sewingmachine casing for convenience of use when a bobbin is to be wound. Whennot in use, however, it becomes desirable to shroud these projectingbobbin winder parts so as to prevent snagging of thread, work fabrics,the operator's clothing, or the like. In this invention such shroudingof the exposed bobbin winder parts is accomplished by an arrangement ofthese parts within the cavity 31 of the spool pin supporting standard 30in the closed position of the hinged lid 23.

Not only is the sewing machine operative to form stitches using threadfrom a spool on the spool pin 33 when the lid is in opened position, asexplained in detail in the abovereferenced US. Pat. No. 3,381,641, but abobbin on the bobbin winding spindle 40 may be replenished with threadfrom a spool on the spool pin 33 in the opened position of the lid. Whenthe lid is in closed position, as shown in FIG. I, the projectingportions of the bobbin winder mechanism are effectively hidden andshrouded against interference with other functions of the sewingmachine.

Having set forth the nature of this invention what is claimed herein is:I

1. In combination in a sewing machine having a casing, a bobbin windercarried on said sewing machine and including at least a bobbinaccommodating spindle exposed exteriorly of said casing, a lid, hingemeans securing said lid on said casing for movement of said lidselectively into and out of a closed position covering said bobbinwinder, a standard projecting from said lid and supporting a threadspool accommodating pin, said standard being formed interiorly with acavity disposed encasing the exteriorly exposed portions of said bobbinwinder in the closed position of said lid.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the sewing machinecasing includes a top cover formed with an aperture upwardly throughwhich said bobbin accommodating spindle projects, in which said lid ishinged to said top cover, and in which in the closed position of the lidthe standard pro commodating spindle.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the portions of saidbobbin winder exposed exteriorly of said casing include, in addition tothe bobbin accommodating spindle, a control knob for said bobbin winderand a thread engaging abutment for automatically terminating bobbinwinding 5 operation.

1. In combination in a sewing machine having a casing, a bobBin windercarried on said sewing machine and including at least a bobbinaccommodating spindle exposed exteriorly of said casing, a lid, hingemeans securing said lid on said casing for movement of said lidselectively into and out of a closed position covering said bobbinwinder, a standard projecting from said lid and supporting a threadspool accommodating pin, said standard being formed interiorly with acavity disposed encasing the exteriorly exposed portions of said bobbinwinder in the closed position of said lid.
 2. The combination as setforth in claim 1 in which the sewing machine casing includes a top coverformed with an aperture upwardly through which said bobbin accommodatingspindle projects, in which said lid is hinged to said top cover, and inwhich in the closed position of the lid the standard projects upwardlyand the cavity therein overlies the bobbin accommodating spindle.
 3. Thecombination as set forth in claim 1 in which the portions of said bobbinwinder exposed exteriorly of said casing include, in addition to thebobbin accommodating spindle, a control knob for said bobbin winder anda thread engaging abutment for automatically terminating bobbin windingoperation.